The eastern cliffs rose like the jagged edge of a broken crown, casting shadows that seemed to stretch into forever. Storm clouds gathered above, thick and restless, threatening rain as Ashyra, Stephan, Kael, and a hand-picked team from both Silverclaw and Nightshade approached the cliffside ledge Nyra had marked on the map.
There was no visible entrance—just stone and moss, ancient and untouched. But Ashyra’s wolf stirred the moment her boots hit the overgrown path, her senses prickling.
“This is it,” she murmured.
Stephan scanned the area, nostrils flaring. “I don’t like how quiet it is.”
Kael unslung his axe. “That’s because nothing alive is around. Not even birds. That’s never a good sign.”
Ashyra pressed a hand to the stone wall. It was warmer than it should’ve been—faintly pulsi
